The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1887-06-16
BILL ARP,s LETTER.
His Weekly Bridget of Wit and Hu,nor

His Weekly Bridget of Wit and Hu,nor.
The cook has quit again. Mrs. Sicily
Minis departed these coasts yesterday
morning. We had cold lunch for din
ner but we had good supper-so its all
right and no loss on our side. We save
the cooks board and her two children's
board and her hire and some breakage
and DOSAGE and frettage. We will try
home rule a while. 1t was a cloudy
morning this morning and I oversight
myself and when I do everybody else
does and SO breakfast was late and the
children didn't get off to school until the
second bell had rung and they will be
kept in at recess for being tardy and 80
the sins of the father will be visited upon
the children which looks hard but is
according to scripture. / worked late
with them last night untangling four
unknown quantities into equations and
hunting all over Bingham's Latin to find
out the lenses and moods of the verbs ne
had to translate. There are more excep.
tions than rules and I've forgotten my
Latin anyhow, and if it wasent for those
children l wouldent go to school another
day. But they need help and encourage
ment for it is strain upon their young
minds TO grasp these obstruse things.
School will be out in two weeks and they
are counting tie days and laying their
plans for vacation. I am the only boy
at home now during the day and have to
bring water and dig the potatoes, and
pick the beans and fan up the stove and
water the horse, and put the beds out to
sun, and be ready for anything that is
pertinent or impertinent. I hired vag-
abond chunk of a darky and he stole a
coat and vest and run off to Acworth,
and then I picked up another and ne
stole shirt and pair of earrings, and
drew his wages and quit. We never
missed the things until he had gone and
his nanny strutted around town with the
earrings in her ears. She gave them up
generously but seemed to think she was
better than most niggers. "cos she never
hide 'em from nobody" She is one of
the crack shoulers in the church and
spends her time in foraging around and
"ssryin' de Lord" They have no con-
science about these little piiferings, and
it does look like they can't help it, and
so we have to put up with it and get along.
The chain gang does not punish, neither
does it reform such cases. A good whip.
ping is better remedy. But the best
protection after all is to not have them
around. Let us do our own work if we
can. 1 like to be waited on, that is a
fact, but there is power of comfort in
waiting on yourself. 1t is better for the
children to be raised that way. The town
has tendency TO demoralize the children,
anyhow. There are so many shows and
picnics and frolics going on and it takes
so many clothes and so much washing and
ironipg-so many visits to pay and visits
to receive, which is all right and pleasant
and social but it don't leave very much
time for anything else, does It?
And besides it seems to wean the chill
dren from the parents, and they don't
hang around us and lean upon US like
they did in the country.
All this is very natural and it is sad,
but don't complain, for the young birds
must quit the nest sooner or later. In
the country they had the fields and woods
and meadows and mountains, and ! frol-
licked with them, and we would be pick
ing huckleberries right now if we we're
there, but the town is cramped and so
there must be some substitute. They
| must visit their companions and be visit.
ed, and sometimes they would stay all
night and they would play ball and Gro
quet and have good time to make up
for that algebra and arithmetic and Latin
and other unknown quantities.
Why even the dogs are demoralized
since they come to town. They used to
follow us around and hunt rabbits, but
now they run up and down the pailings
and bark at the outside dog, and when
they are not running they are watching
and waiting for one to come along. They
kept up such an everlasting racket every
night that We couldn't sleep and they
wouldn't come when 1 called them. Sc
the other night ABOUT midnight ! got des
perate and put on my shoes and hurried
out "dishabil," as they say, and tram
poosed all around the fence until l caugh'
one, and dragged him by the nap o
the neck to room in the cabin and shu
the door and mauled him with and ole
broomhandle to my satisfaction, and wa
going to leave him there till morning
but just as opened the door wid'
enough to go out the rascal made lung'
over my shoulders and threw me sprawl
ing on my all fours in wet place, and m!
dishabil was sight and l was mac
enough to have killed him if l could hav'
caught him, and in ten minutes he va
running another dog up and down tn
palings.
"For In this town the dogs 50 round,
And many dogs there be;
Both mongrell puppy, whelp and hound
And ours of low degree"
The next morning saw the town drs!
hauling three dead dogs to the woods ant
I was sorry that one of them was no
mine, but his turn will come, reckon
for though every dog must have his da!
he incident have all night to bark ant
prowl around. Living in town makes
dog impudent just like it does folks
Even our old mare is getting too fat an(